All Saints and All Souls Day: Nov. 1 and 2

 This Wednesday is All Saints Day and the following day is All Souls Day. On All Saints Day, we remember “all saints, known and unknown,” according to the Episcopal Dictionary of the Church. All Souls Day, on the other hand, remembers “all saints, known and unknown, esp. those who are unknown in the wider fellowship of the church, [such as] family members and friends.”

In Celtic spirituality this time of year is considered a ‘thin space’ where there can be communication with those who have gone before. The Hispanic culture in Central and South America and the SW United States celebrates Dia de los Muertos which is a time to joyfully remember ancestors with food and decorating ofrendas (a temporary altar with pictures, food, water, candles, and paper banners). Other cultures have similar ways of remembering and honoring their deceased loved ones.

Whether with prayers at church, a visit to a graveside, or welcoming your ancestors with gifts and song, take some time over the next week to think about your ancestors and the gifts they have left you through their lives and heritage. We may not know very much about our own history, unless you’ve done genealogy, but we all know that we are the result of many, many people who went before. They lived, endured, loved, and worked so that you can be here today.

A quick look at this generation fan gives an idea of how many people are there. No matter how many generations we can account for by name, we can remember the words from the Book of Wisdom 3:1-9, which are often read at funerals and on All Souls Day, and give thanks for their lives.

Wisdom 3:1-9

1 But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
2 In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
3 and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
4 For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
5 Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
6 like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt-offering he accepted them.
7 In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
8 They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
9 Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and he watches over his elect.